UNITI & Aiff

Nope - AIFF is a legacy protocol, not widely used and no longer promoted by Apple.
ALAC however is a current Apple format and which would be much more useful.
Until Apple add FLAC support to iTunes (probably never), or Naim add ALAC support to the Uniti (please!) then lossless streaming from Mac iTunes libraries will continue to be a real pain.

Just curiosity,
Are wav files supported on mac iTunes?

JL

quote:

Originally posted by John Bleasdale:
Nope - AIFF is a legacy protocol, not widely used and no longer promoted by Apple.
ALAC however is a current Apple format and which would be much more useful.

AIFF is still promoted by Apple - it is fully supported in iTunes and is default in applications such as Garage Band and Logic.

The NDX supports AIFF so not sure if AIFF support will come to Uniti/UnitiQute later. I quite agree supporting ALAC would be a very good thing(TM).

quote:

Originally posted by JLD:
Just curiosity, are wav files supported on mac iTunes?

Yes, iTunes on the Mac (and Windows) support WAV files but all the metadata for them is stored withing the iTunes Library database - no support for tags nor reading folder/file names - and there is very limited album art support - only albums found within the iTunes Store get album art (there are workarounds for this)

Eloise

Aiff uses same tag format as wav. Any dif in reading info by Itunes is by choice. They're extremely similar formats but one is made to not be universally accessed.

quote:

Originally posted by js:
Aiff uses same tag format as wav. Any dif in reading info by Itunes is by choice. They're extremely similar formats but one is made to not be universally accessed.

WAV has had tagging bolted on extra and very few music playback software read these tags.
AIFF was designed with meta-data capability from the beginning.

Both are as "universally accessed" as each other ... WAV was designed by Microsoft just as AIFF was designed (based on EA's IFF format) by Apple. Both are published standards which anyone can implement.

Agree that ALAC support would be a good compromise. It just that, given the number of audiophiles using itunes, it seems a bit perverse not to allow it for the Uniti platform and built it into the Unitiserve/HDX/NDX

Asking Naim gets a slightly mystified response - as if one is being rather silly to ask for it in the first place - like a slightly wayward child asking for a late night pass.

However, if more of us ask for ALAC/Aiff eventually the penny may drop.

I suspect they may want me to buy that Unitiserve.

Anyone know a good replacement for itunes that is flac friendly?

tog

WAV is Microsoft's attempt at doing what EA already did better years ago with Amiga Interchange File Format: MS likes doing that as I don't think they have anybody who can write software of their own. I don't understand why AIFF is not supported. Apple certainly knows a good thing. If I toast AIFF files to Audio CD then they play on the CDX2 no problem. MAX by default seems to make everything AIFF and it works like a dream on my MacnDAC/555PS. I bet there are more ALAC, AAC and AIFF users than WAV users out there.

quote:

given the number of audiophiles using itunes

Maybe that is the problem right there.

quote:

one is being rather silly to ask for it in the first place

Maybe that should tell you something. What? I dont know. But, something....

Aiff and wav were both around about 1990 using pcm and riff tags. Apple added a version of an id3 block. Broadcast wav, BWF also has a meta data chunk but of course what players and programs read it is another matter. This may be over simplified as I don't know if these chunks are in leu audio data or just make for a larger file etc.

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
WAV is Microsoft's attempt at doing what EA already did better years ago with Amiga Interchange File Format: MS likes doing that as I don't think they have anybody who can write software of their own. I don't understand why AIFF is not supported. Apple certainly knows a good thing. If I toast AIFF files to Audio CD then they play on the CDX2 no problem. MAX by default seems to make everything AIFF and it works like a dream on my MacnDAC/555PS. I bet there are more ALAC, AAC and AIFF users than WAV users out there.

Not a chance-the pro world moved to WAV (BWF) some years ago. But it's a nicely Apple-centric notion, nonetheless!

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
After a number of emails to Naim they finally conceded that the Uniti and Qute are different platforms to the HDX/Serve and that there are no plans to update the Uniti to accept Aiff - am I alone in thinking this shortsighted. Surely a software update would be all that is needed.

Tog

Hi "Tog",

I'm a bit concerned by the statement that you make about us "finally conceeding" ... who were you speaking to? There is no question whatsoever that the Uniti / UnitiQute and HDX / NS0x / UnitiServe are different platforms and there certainly should have been no uncertainly on this ...

The Uniti and UnitiQute accept lossless formats via UPnP and so your UPnP client should be able to give a lossless feed given a lossless source file.

Phil

Hi Phil - no disrespect intended - I love my Uniti and have been boring everyone about how good it sounds and how reassuring the tank like build quality feels compared to Linn kit.

The comment came from a slightly frustrating email exchange with Naim Customer Service over support for Aiff when it took quite a few emails to elicit a vague response.

However, looking back to July I did get the following from Naim in answer to whether future firmware upgrades will enable aiff....

quote:

Hello

This is on our to do list but engineering time is being used up with the
new Qute and iPod touch/iPhone APP at the moment so I cannot give you a
timescale

Regards


Steven Hopkins
Customer Relations

Sounds good - what do people think - subsequent emails seemed to backtrack ...but some kind of firm indication from Naim would be fantastic.

What do you think?

tog

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
Hi Phil - no disrespect intended

None taken - I'm a "techie" so I have been told that my replies can often be interpreted as a bit dry and lacking in humanity ...

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
I love my Uniti and have been boring everyone about how good it sounds and how reassuring the tank like build quality feels compared to Linn kit.

Good man ... the cheque's in the post...

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
The comment came from a slightly frustrating email exchange with Naim Customer Service over support for Aiff when it took quite a few emails to elicit a vague response.

However, looking back to July I did get the following from Naim in answer to whether future firmware upgrades will enable aiff....

quote:

Hello

This is on our to do list but engineering time is being used up with the
new Qute and iPod touch/iPhone APP at the moment so I cannot give you a
timescale

Regards


Steven Hopkins
Customer Relations

Cool - thanks - Steve would probably have asked R&D and it may well have been on their "to do" list at the time and subsequently not be implemented or prioritised downwards for any number of reasons. There should be no *NEED* to implement AIFF support directly on the Uniti platform itself as the Uniti supports a lossless format already (WAV) and the UPnP Server should be able to read in an AIFF and pump it over to the Uniti as WAV.

There should definitely be no question or ambiguity that the Uniti / UnitiQute (and even NDX) platforms are different to the UnitiServe / HDX / NS0x though...

Phil

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Harris:
There should definitely be no question or ambiguity that the Uniti / UnitiQute (and even NDX) platforms are different to the UnitiServe / HDX / NS0x though...

Phil (or others)...

As I understand it, the UnitiServe / HDX / NS0x is basically one platform (with varying output options). The Uniti and UnitiQute is again, basically the same platform with the Uniti adding CD and the amps varying.

How does the NDX fit in. I know it's not based on the NS0x platform, but is the streaming side of it related to the Uniti, i.e. will there (in the future) be one firmware for all three with the same (streaming) functionality, or will they require difference firmware? For example, the NDX says (on the website) it supports AIFF, does this mean this functionality will be coming to the Uniti platform or are they completely separate?

Basically I'm asking (clearing all ambiguity from your statement) is there 2 platforms or 3? Is the NDX as separate platform or part of the Uniti/UnitiQute platform?

Eloise

The Uniti and UnitiQute are closely related. The NDX shares a similar overlying firmware but a considerably different hardware platform.

Does that help?

Phil

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Harris:
The Uniti and UnitiQute are closely related. The NDX shares a similar overlying firmware but a considerably different hardware platform.

Does that help?

Phil

So there's two and a half different platforms... :-)

Eloise

Phil - How difficult is enabling aiff /alac on the Uniti platform?

I can certainly let the UPnP server transcode but this can lead to issue with higher bitrate files and using flac rather than aiff means that itunes is rather less useful as a resource tool.

tog

quote:

Yes, iTunes on the Mac (and Windows) support WAV files but all the metadata for them is stored withing the iTunes Library database - no support for tags nor reading folder/file names - and there is very limited album art support - only albums found within the iTunes Store get album art (there are workarounds for this)

Eloise

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by js:
Aiff uses same tag format as wav. Any dif in reading info by Itunes is by choice. They're extremely similar formats but one is made to not be universally accessed.


WAV has had tagging bolted on extra and very few music playback software read these tags.
AIFF was designed with meta-data capability from the beginning. Eloise

Thanks for your clever response, Eloise

I already know that Itune store metadatas in its database but can you share (if possible) a list of the best media player supporting wav and/or AIFF metadata?

I've found Winamp read correctly the tag in wav file made with Exact Audio Copy...
(As example Foobar doesn't support the wav tags... (Patrick if you read me please correct me if I'm wrong)

Jean-Luc

Itunes can support Wav fine as long as it was tagged there and MediaMonkey is probably easiest and best overall for wav libraries.

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
Phil - How difficult is enabling aiff /alac on the Uniti platform?

Lets just say for now that it's "non-trivial"...

quote:

Originally posted by Tog:
I can certainly let the UPnP server transcode but this can lead to issue with higher bitrate files and using flac rather than aiff means that itunes is rather less useful as a resource tool.

What issues do you have with higher bitrate files?

Phil

Phil

...but not impossible?

no real issues using eye connect so far except that I think 24 bit aiff get down sampled by the software.

presumably the Unityserve will convert aiff to wav when serving the Unity?

Tog

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Harris:

There should be no *NEED* to implement AIFF support directly on the Uniti platform itself as the Uniti supports a lossless format already (WAV) and the UPnP Server should be able to read in an AIFF and pump it over to the Uniti as WAV.

Can you recommend one?

Cheers,
Scaramucce

If gapless playback of AIFF or Apple Lossless (ALAC) is required, transcoding would preclude gapless playback IIRC.

I just received this answer from the makers of the 'Majestic' UPNP-Server:

'Majestic can currently read AIFF files and transcode them to MP3 (currently fixed at 192k).
We are making transcode output (formats and bit-rates) configurable in a future version, I can't give you a time estimate at this point however.'

Sounds promising...

quote:

Originally posted by Scaramucce:

quote:

Originally posted by Phil Harris:

There should be no *NEED* to implement AIFF support directly on the Uniti platform itself as the Uniti supports a lossless format already (WAV) and the UPnP Server should be able to read in an AIFF and pump it over to the Uniti as WAV.

Can you recommend one?

Cheers,
Scaramucce

UnitiServe